Apple Daily: An Ally of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution

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Apple Daily: An Ally of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution

Apple Daily has become the go-to media organisation for Hong Kong's youth during this year's Umbrella Revolution

The Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong was an opportunity for local newspaper, Apple Daily. The protests which swept through Hong Kong earlier this year have allowed the news publication to able to establish themselves as the voice of the pro-democracy movement.

Cassian Cheung, CEO of Next Media, discussed how that Apple Daily was able to crack the potential of technological and digital developments to give real time coverage of the Hong Kong protests.

As drone operators gave a view from above, video- and photo-journalists were giving a live feed on-the-ground which was uploaded almost immediately onto the Apple Daily app. This was paired with online maps giving a live stream from around the city, allowing Hong Kongers to know what was going on in multiple places at any given time.

Cheung discussed this has become possible largely because of daily reliance on smartphones, particularly among the young: “Part of the popularity of Apple Daily, especially among young people, is because less and less people are watching TV. And most of them are using digital media to get information, and that is the area we have been focussing on in the last five years.” says Cheong.

He elaborates that this extremely fast turnover of news in the format of digital media, Apple Daily was able to tap into the voice of the HK youth but also to gain the edge on the established media. “The footage that is obtained in this coverage can be seen on the app as video on demand. So there is a more procedural manner which we allow our audience to get what they want anytime they want, and that’s what we have over television.”

But more than that, Cheung stated Apple Daily had made a point of siding with the protestors, which has given them a voice : “Some very creative young people decided to hang a banner which said ‘I want real elections’ at one of the most famous mountains in Hong Kong. It’s almost symbolic of the spirit of Hong Kong, and this huge banner was there for only one day, but let me tell you, if it was there for only one minute it would have made history. And we were covering that before the police took down the banner, and this has now become part of the history of Hong Kong and the history of the democratic movement.”